Report indicates Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 will launch in first quarter of 2017

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 has been the subject of a number of rumors — including that it would be released in September and that it would be launched at IFA this year. Now, however, it seems as though we might not see the new tablet until the first quarter of 2017, at least if a report from SamMobile is to be believed.

According to the report, the device will come in two variants — the SM-T280, which will be the Wi-Fi-only model, and the SM-T285, which will offer LTE connectivity as well.

Unfortunately, little is known about the specs and size of the Galaxy Tab S3, but it’s safe to say that it should be relatively high-powered. The Galaxy Tab S line has long been a workhorse in the world of Android-based tablets, offering users an Android alternative to what is largely hailed the king of tablets, the iPad.

Last year’s Galaxy Tab S2, for example, scored a hefty 9 out of 10 when we reviewed it last year, with the only downsides being its price and the fact that it doesn’t have the same premium metal build found on other Samsung tablets. It’s possible that the Galaxy Tab S3 could change that. When it came to specs, the earlier device boasted an Exynos 5433 or Snapdragon 652, depending on where it was bought, alongside a cool 3GB of RAM and either 32GB or 64GB of storage — that’s plenty for a device that will be used by many as a movie-watching and web-browsing screen.

Whenever the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 is finally released, it should be a real hit — that is, if it actually sells. Samsung’s future is very unclear at this point, especially after the whole fiasco with the Galaxy Note 7.